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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Victor Kossakovsky's Aquarela

New York (October 19, 2018) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that it has acquired all rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Scandinavia, South Africa, and India from Participant Media to Victor Kossakovsky’s Aquarela. The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and also screened at the London Film Festival.

Aquarela takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Filmed at a rare 96 frames-per-second, the film is a visceral wake-up call that humans are no match for the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious resource. From the precarious frozen waters of Russia’s Lake Baikal to Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma to Venezuela’s mighty Angels Falls, water is Aquarela's main character, with director Victor Kossakovsky capturing her many personalities in startling visual detail.

“For me, Aquarela represents a personal journey that encapsulates every possible emotion – from joy and ecstasy to angst and awe – providing a unique lens that allows audiences to develop a deeper connection to the beauty and power of water in all its forms,” Kossakovsky said. “I am deeply grateful and excited to be working with Sony Classics; their track record for bringing thought-provoking and inspiring films like Aquarela is unparalleled.”

Said Sony Pictures Classics, “Victor Kossakovsky has created a mind-blowing experience on screen at 96 frames-per-second with Aquarela and we are excited to share this powerful film and its message with audiences.”

“Aquarela is raw cinematic ambition brought to life by the extraordinarily talented Victor Kossakovsky,” said Diane Weyermann, President of Documentary Film & Television for Participant Media. “An immersive experience, the film captures for audiences both the visceral and poetic power of our planet’s most precious resource, water. We are thrilled to join forces with Tom and Michael and the whole team at Sony Classics in bringing this exquisite film to audiences worldwide.”

The film reunites Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with Participant Media after having previously collaborated on last year’s Academy Award®-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A FANTASTIC WOMAN, NO and documentaries MERCHANTS OF DOUBT, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE and JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS.

The film is presented by Sony Pictures Classics and Participant Media together with Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Creative Scotland, BFI, Deutscher Filmförderfonds – DFFF, Medienboard Berlin – Brandenburg and Danish Film Institute, in association with Cactus World Films, a Ma.ja.de Film, Aconite and Danish Documentary production, in co-production with Louverture Films and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg in association with ARTE and Rio Negro Producciones and Ánorâk Film. Aquarela received additional financial support from Sundance Film Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, The Government of Greenland, Eurimages and RBB TV. Endeavor Content and Lionsgate International are handling international sales.

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Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant Media’s (www.participantmedia.com) content combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for real world impact and awareness around the most pressing global issues of our time. As an industry content leader, Participant annually produces up to six narrative feature films, five documentary films, three episodic television series, and more than 40 hours of digital short form programming, through its digital subsidiary SoulPancake—all aimed at entertainment that inspires social awareness and engaging audiences to participate in positive social change. Participant’s content and social impact mandate speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing over 2 billion consumers who are compelled to make impactful content a priority focus. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant is positioned uniquely within the industry to engage a rapidly growing audience while bringing global awareness and action to today’s most vital issues.

Participant’s more than 80 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc. and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 56 Academy Award® nominations and 12 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight and Best Foreign Language Film for A Fantastic Woman. Participant’s digital entertainment division, SoulPancake (www.soulpancake.com), is an award-winning provider of thought-provoking, joyful, and uplifting digital content including such widely popular series as Kid President and The Science of Happiness and reaches an audience of nearly 9 million fans. Follow Participant Media on Twitter and on Facebook and Instagram. Follow SoulPancake on Twitter and on Facebook and Instagram.